India’s technology ecosystem this year is seeing a gradual shift from services-led expansion toward enterprise ownership, AI-led operations, and deep-tech manufacturing. Global firms are expanding beyond delivery functions in India, with a growing share of platform development and product responsibilities moving into the country. Artificial intelligence is becoming embedded in enterprise systems, while Global Capability Centres (GCCs) are playing a larger role in how multinational companies design and run global business functions.
On this National Technology Day 2026, the scale of the transition is reflected in key industry indicators.
According to industry estimates, the technology sector is projected to reach $315 billion in FY26, growing 6.1% despite global uncertainty, indicating sustained demand from enterprise digitalisation and AI-led adoption. The digital economy now contributes 13% to GDP and is expected to reach 20% by 2030, reflecting its rising role in overall economic output as businesses and services become more digitally driven.
Artificial intelligence is not slowing down and is expected to contribute $10–$12 billion in revenue this fiscal year, supported by over 250,000 AI/ML professionals, marking its shift from experimentation to core enterprise deployment. The growth shows that AI use is spreading across industries and continuing to expand. AI hiring has risen 59.5% year-on-year, reflecting strong demand across product, automation and analytics roles. In parallel, over 2 million professionals have been upskilled in foundational AI capabilities, showing a wider shift in how the workforce is adapting to AI-led systems.
Coming to Global Capability Centres (GCCs), India now hosts 2,117 centres across 3,728 units, reflecting the scale of enterprise operations in the country. City-level data shows how this shift is playing out on the ground. Hyderabad itself recorded 5.86 million sq. ft. of office transactions in Q1 2026, up 48% year-on-year, with GCCs accounting for 43% of demand, driven by expansion from global firms.
While Bengaluru secured $823 million in startup funding across 89 deals in early 2026 and continues to hold nearly half of India’s AI/ML talent base, Pune is emerging as a stable engineering hub, with 1.8 million sq. ft. of office space absorption driven by automotive and industrial tech companies.
Semiconductor manufacturing is also moving into a production phase, backed by nearly Rs 1,600 billion in investments across approved projects. This marks a shift toward a full-stack technology economy, where software, enterprise systems, and hardware manufacturing are coming together within the same growth cycle.
National Technology Day 2026 also highlighted how artificial intelligence is moving deeper into everyday use cases, with industry leaders pointing to both its growing applications and the need for responsible deployment.
“Artificial intelligence and conversational technologies are making journeys more intuitive, seamless, and accessible for consumers. As digital adoption grows, the focus must remain on building innovation that is responsible, inclusive, and rooted in trust. India has a strong opportunity to lead by creating technology ecosystems that combine accessibility, scale, and meaningful long-term impact,” said Rikant Pittie, CEO and Co-founder of EaseMyTrip.
Meanwhile, Sachin Dev Duggal, Founder and CEO of SeKondBrain, said, “Innovation only becomes meaningful when it reaches beyond the already empowered. Responsible AI is not simply about guardrails, regulation or safety language, although all of that matters. It is about designing technology that understands context, culture and access. India’s opportunity is extraordinary because inclusion is not a side mission here; it is the main event.” he added.
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